Bhattacharjee honored for leadership at Miami and beyond

Share this Story:

J.K. Bhattacharjee (microbiology) was honored with the Lavatus Powell Community Builder Award for his service to the Miami and Oxford communities at the 5th annual Lavatus Powell Honorary Conference Jan. 24.

The honor goes to a person who is committed to the ideals of inclusion, community, diversity and service embodied by the late Powell, a former vice president at Procter & Gamble, longtime Cincinnati Youth Collaborative (CYC) volunteer and husband of Myrtis Powell, retired vice president for student affairs.

Bhattacharjee has mentored numerous minority students over the years and has been a member or officer on the President's Council on Multicultural Affairs, the President's Task Force on Human Relations, University Senate, Graduate Council and many other committees.

In Oxford and beyond, he has supported the Oxford Community Foundation and the Ghandi Family House for Homeless Mothers and coordinated the Ghandi food drive for the FreeStore in Cincinnati. He has also been active with the Talawanda gifted children's program, the Chicago-based Bangladesh Relief for Refugees, Talawanda Key Club, middle school Builders Club, the Indian community in Cincinnati and other organizations, said microbiology chair Anne Morris Hooke, who nominated Bhattacharjee.